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The A. & M. Egg Laying Test
AMERICA'S 5th OLDEST
Reprinted from the October Issue, Oklahoma A. & M. Magazine
The A. § M. Egg Laying Test To the Trapnes+er, An Early Morning Cackle May Mean Ali-American Honors for Biddie If a statue of Biddie, the hen, is ever unveiled in the H a l l of Fame, it'll probably be the likeness of one of the hens entered in the Oklahoma A. & M. College Egg Laying test.
"An egg laying test," in the words of Don Brooks, poultryman in charge of the A. & M. test, "is an effort to improve the methods and a d d to the general knowledge of poultry husbandry by paying greater attention to breeding more efficient and profitable hens." Laying tests offer research possibilities a n d make it possible to secure data of far-reaching value in .improving the industry, Brooks says. And mainly it is a method for the p o u l t r y m a n to demonstrate his ability to breed for high egg production, for livability of hens, a n d for high hatchability of eggs. T h e Oklahoma test opens Oct. 1 and runs for 51 weeks. Breeders,
• Don Brooks checks some records at his desk in the poultry department office as one of the hens entered in this year's egg laying test looks on. T h e hen is high Rhode Island Red hen for this year's laying test. She is owned by the Floyd Poultry breeding farm, Ada.
hatcheries a n d hatchery flock owners send pens of 13 hens of a particular breed from locations ranging from Oregon to Ohio, a n d from Texas to Michigan. T h e pullets are housed, fed, a n d trapnested at the A . ' & M. poultry farm for the entire 51-week period. A trapnest is a type of nest which locks the h e n in the laying nest until the trapnester comes along to let her out. At A. & M., students do part of this work. T h i s permits the trapnester to record the weight of the egg opposite the hen's leg-band n u m b e r on a p e r m a n e n t record. It is the only accurate method of determining how many eggs a h e n lays a n d h o w large the eggs are. T r a p n e s t i n g is the only basis of progeny testing. D u r i n g the time the test is in operation, a daily eggnproduction record is kept of each h e n in each pen. T h e complete record includes (1) the n u m b e r of eggs produced; (2) the size or weight of each egg; (3) the total a m o u n t of feed consumed by each p e n of hens each m o n t h ; (4) the cost of the feed consumed; (5) the r e t u r n from this egg production based on cash current receipts in Stillwater on the open, ungraded market; (6) the cost of feed p e r dozen eggs produced; (7) the hens margin of profit over the cost of feed consumed each m o n t h , and (8) a mortality record of each pen including the cause of death. A monthly mimeographed report is issued to participating poultrymen a n d others. Non-participating poultrymen use this record to give some idea about egg cost a n d margin of profit, and for other revealing facts which appear from time to time. Persons interested in receiving the report should write direct to the poultry department. Aggies have h a d a big h a n d in keeping the Oklahoma Egg LayingTest on an even keel. From 1932 to 1935 Ollie E. Goff, '27, now head of the University of Tennessee poultry department, directed the work. He was followed by F. Z. Beanblossom, O C T O B E R . 1949
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at Florida International University on June 12, 2015
For 26 years this test has been an integral part of the services of the Oklahoma A. & M. College poultry department. T h e A. & M. test is fifth olclest in the nation and Oklahoma ranks third largest in n u m b e r of farms represented in national egg laying tests. W h e n Bob Fenimore, A. & M.'s brilliant football star was galloping to All-American fame on the gridiron, a h e n entered in the Oklahoma Egg Laying test was cackling her way to fame by producing the greatest number of eggs for h e r breed of any h e n in the nation in any of the 16 American egg laying tests. T h e Oklahoma test was originated by Prof. R. B. T h o m p s o n , poultry d e p a r t m e n t head, on Nov. 1, 1923. As a student in poultry work at Oregon State college, he h a d served u n d e r the late Prof. James Dryden who pioneered in trap nest work in America.
Professor Dryden used poultry students to d o the trap nesting work at Oregon State a n d it was there that Professor T h o m p s o n learned of the value of such a program to students. At Oklahoma A. & M. he has continued that practice t o give poultry students a real understanding of the techniques of trap nesting, feeding, management a n d breeding.
A. 8c M. COLLEGE MAGAZINE
PAGE 17
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at Florida International University on June 12, 2015
Senate Perry, '32, Blackwell hatch- water come a high pen of all breeds '22, now Extension poultryman, Texas A. & M. College, and in 1938 ery owner, has cooperating flock and a high hen of all breeds. These Don L. Brooks, '32, took over. Brooks owners sending pullets to the Okla- winners receive certificates attesting was the first A. & M. graduate to trap- homa tests. One of those pens this to their production and also a silver nest and feed the hens as a full time year is high for the New Hampshire trophy. The next highest nine hens job. Graduates who did trapnesting breed and fourth high in all breeds. receive certificates of award and the and feeding work as full time em- Also, one of the pullets entered last high three pens likewise receive certiployees include W. O. Wilson, '32, year has a season record of 100 per- ficates each month. Not all pens, which consist of 13 now of the University of California cent hatchability of eggs. Clay Boston, '33, operates a hatch- hens at the beginning of the period, poultry department at Davis, Calif.; Herbert Aurell, '26, now with Riley ery at Carnegie and in cooperation come through with that many alive. poultry farm, Lafayette, Ind.; Harry with a White Leghorn owner was rep- Oklahoma records show, however, F. Hurry, '39, now of the J. O. Combs resented in 1941. Theo R. Lorenz, that livability of laying hens is a Poultry Breeding farm, Sedgwick, '33, entered a winning hen among quality which can be cultivated Kan.; Wayne Land, '38, now of Swift the Wyandotte entries in the 1943-44 through careful selection of breeding And high hatchability and He also had entries in 1943, stock. & Co., Garden City, Kan.; George test. Queen, '40, now agriculture advisor 1944, and 1947. He owns the King- egg production, likewise, are qualities which can be developed. in poultry husbandry, in the New Or- fisher hatchery at Kingfisher. For example, one breeder through leans, La., parish; and later, Eskel O. Frank Griswold, '36, has a successEssary, '47, now of the University of ful poultry business at Wewoka. His the Oklahoma Egg Laying test inTennessee poultry department at entries were first sent to the test in creased the average annual egg proKnoxvi'lle. 1937. In 1945 and 1946, his hens duction per hen from 193 to 258 eggs gave a good account of themselves in a period of six years through imOldest participating hatchery, with and in 1947 one of his hens tied that proving the laying strain by breed16 years, is the Embry hatchery and of Senate Perry on hatchability with ing. That gain of 65 eggs meant its predecessor, the Knepley hatchery a 100 percent rating. more money in the owner's pocket of Blackwell. Hugh Embry, '34, Lee Bright, '40, while operating a and it meant a more adequate supply owns this hatchery. Next oldest of hatchery at Newkirk, entered the test for egg users. the participating hatcheries, A. Floyd Students in poultry at A. & M., in 1943. After the war he opened a jr., and Swift & Co., with hatcherythrough their participation in the hatchery at Arkansas City, Kan., and men Ben Kropp, '35, and Wayne Egg Laying test, become acquainted Land, '38^ combining, have tied with John M. Hall, '41, has his own breedwith trapnesting methods, learn to ing farm at Henderson, Tenn. He 12 years participation. entered the test in 1946 and in this mix poultry feeds and mashes, learn Kropp and Floyd have developed year's test his birds were right behind the value of progeny testing, and have winning pens twice in the Oklahoma Senate Ferry's entries in the second unique training, in that more of this Egg Laying test, a feat that only four for the breed and sixth high of all- type of work is given at Oklahoma other breeders in the nation have breeds classification. A. & M. than in almost any other matched during the past quarter of a Another Aggie, W. B. Tallant, '42, institution in the nation. century. Kropp worked with flock is the youngest of the pre-war gradThe Oklahoma Egg Laying test owner Robert Chapman to develop uates participating in the Oklahoma sponsors are proud of the records the pen of pullets which holds, up test. In the 1943 test, the Tallant made by Oklahoma hens in the test. to 1949, the all-time Oklahoma Egg hatchery Leghorns finished the year They also are proud of the student Laying test record for all breeds. as the eighth best pen of all breeds. participation program at A. & M., and Land was in charge of the pullets John Thompson, '49, is the first of the large number of state farms when they rang up this impressive of the post-war Aggies to buck the represented in the local test. record. Floyd developed the pullets, nation's top-notch breeders in the egg As a contribution to the poultry on his farm near Ada which like- laying test. Even before Thompson industry, as an educational factor for wise won the Oklahoma test for two received his degree, he brought the those taking part, and as a means of successive years. family entries to the test from the keeping ahead of the nation, the Other Aggies who have had a Watkins Quality hatchery at Vici. Oklahoma test stands on its past hand in the Oklahoma test include This year a Watkins' Australorp is record. As an overall program, the Herbert Aurell, '26, who sent a pen the highest producing hen among the Oklahoma A. & M. Egg Laying test of New Hampshires to the test from heavy breeds to date. Since 1945, the is outstanding. And keeping Oklathe Lathrop Poultry Farm, Rich- Australorps, Buff Orpingtons, and homa out in front are the Aggies mond, Ind. And Noel Farrington, Jersey White Giants from this hatch- who came to A. & M. to learn poultry '27, while operating a poultry farm ery have established national records work and are now back in poultry enterprises helping to raise the level at Anadarko, sent entries to the test in the Oklahoma test. from 1929 through 1934 which rang From the annual results at Still- of poultry work elsewhere.—J. W. H. up some high ratings. Wayne Miller, '28, research director • Oklahoma ranks third in the nation in having farms represented with entries for the Washington Cooperative as- in the National Egg'Laying tests during .the ten-year period, 1938 through 1947. sociation, Seattle, Wash., had entries The top five states in number of farms represented in U. S. egg laying in 1924 and 1926. W. R. Brown, '29, tests during the 10-year period are: Number of Farms entered pens in 1933-34 and in 1938 with Entries STATE his pen of White Leghorns finished 175 New York seventh high pen of all breeds. His 169 New Jersey pen was rated best entered by an Oklahoma Oklahoma breeder that year. He is 112 Missouri 95 vocational agriculture supervisor at Massachusetts 95 Delhi.
Reprinted from the October Issue, Oklahoma A. & M. Magazine
The A. § M. Egg Laying Test To the Trapnes+er, An Early Morning Cackle May Mean Ali-American Honors for Biddie If a statue of Biddie, the hen, is ever unveiled in the H a l l of Fame, it'll probably be the likeness of one of the hens entered in the Oklahoma A. & M. College Egg Laying test.
"An egg laying test," in the words of Don Brooks, poultryman in charge of the A. & M. test, "is an effort to improve the methods and a d d to the general knowledge of poultry husbandry by paying greater attention to breeding more efficient and profitable hens." Laying tests offer research possibilities a n d make it possible to secure data of far-reaching value in .improving the industry, Brooks says. And mainly it is a method for the p o u l t r y m a n to demonstrate his ability to breed for high egg production, for livability of hens, a n d for high hatchability of eggs. T h e Oklahoma test opens Oct. 1 and runs for 51 weeks. Breeders,
• Don Brooks checks some records at his desk in the poultry department office as one of the hens entered in this year's egg laying test looks on. T h e hen is high Rhode Island Red hen for this year's laying test. She is owned by the Floyd Poultry breeding farm, Ada.
hatcheries a n d hatchery flock owners send pens of 13 hens of a particular breed from locations ranging from Oregon to Ohio, a n d from Texas to Michigan. T h e pullets are housed, fed, a n d trapnested at the A . ' & M. poultry farm for the entire 51-week period. A trapnest is a type of nest which locks the h e n in the laying nest until the trapnester comes along to let her out. At A. & M., students do part of this work. T h i s permits the trapnester to record the weight of the egg opposite the hen's leg-band n u m b e r on a p e r m a n e n t record. It is the only accurate method of determining how many eggs a h e n lays a n d h o w large the eggs are. T r a p n e s t i n g is the only basis of progeny testing. D u r i n g the time the test is in operation, a daily eggnproduction record is kept of each h e n in each pen. T h e complete record includes (1) the n u m b e r of eggs produced; (2) the size or weight of each egg; (3) the total a m o u n t of feed consumed by each p e n of hens each m o n t h ; (4) the cost of the feed consumed; (5) the r e t u r n from this egg production based on cash current receipts in Stillwater on the open, ungraded market; (6) the cost of feed p e r dozen eggs produced; (7) the hens margin of profit over the cost of feed consumed each m o n t h , and (8) a mortality record of each pen including the cause of death. A monthly mimeographed report is issued to participating poultrymen a n d others. Non-participating poultrymen use this record to give some idea about egg cost a n d margin of profit, and for other revealing facts which appear from time to time. Persons interested in receiving the report should write direct to the poultry department. Aggies have h a d a big h a n d in keeping the Oklahoma Egg LayingTest on an even keel. From 1932 to 1935 Ollie E. Goff, '27, now head of the University of Tennessee poultry department, directed the work. He was followed by F. Z. Beanblossom, O C T O B E R . 1949
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at Florida International University on June 12, 2015
For 26 years this test has been an integral part of the services of the Oklahoma A. & M. College poultry department. T h e A. & M. test is fifth olclest in the nation and Oklahoma ranks third largest in n u m b e r of farms represented in national egg laying tests. W h e n Bob Fenimore, A. & M.'s brilliant football star was galloping to All-American fame on the gridiron, a h e n entered in the Oklahoma Egg Laying test was cackling her way to fame by producing the greatest number of eggs for h e r breed of any h e n in the nation in any of the 16 American egg laying tests. T h e Oklahoma test was originated by Prof. R. B. T h o m p s o n , poultry d e p a r t m e n t head, on Nov. 1, 1923. As a student in poultry work at Oregon State college, he h a d served u n d e r the late Prof. James Dryden who pioneered in trap nest work in America.
Professor Dryden used poultry students to d o the trap nesting work at Oregon State a n d it was there that Professor T h o m p s o n learned of the value of such a program to students. At Oklahoma A. & M. he has continued that practice t o give poultry students a real understanding of the techniques of trap nesting, feeding, management a n d breeding.
A. 8c M. COLLEGE MAGAZINE
PAGE 17
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at Florida International University on June 12, 2015
Senate Perry, '32, Blackwell hatch- water come a high pen of all breeds '22, now Extension poultryman, Texas A. & M. College, and in 1938 ery owner, has cooperating flock and a high hen of all breeds. These Don L. Brooks, '32, took over. Brooks owners sending pullets to the Okla- winners receive certificates attesting was the first A. & M. graduate to trap- homa tests. One of those pens this to their production and also a silver nest and feed the hens as a full time year is high for the New Hampshire trophy. The next highest nine hens job. Graduates who did trapnesting breed and fourth high in all breeds. receive certificates of award and the and feeding work as full time em- Also, one of the pullets entered last high three pens likewise receive certiployees include W. O. Wilson, '32, year has a season record of 100 per- ficates each month. Not all pens, which consist of 13 now of the University of California cent hatchability of eggs. Clay Boston, '33, operates a hatch- hens at the beginning of the period, poultry department at Davis, Calif.; Herbert Aurell, '26, now with Riley ery at Carnegie and in cooperation come through with that many alive. poultry farm, Lafayette, Ind.; Harry with a White Leghorn owner was rep- Oklahoma records show, however, F. Hurry, '39, now of the J. O. Combs resented in 1941. Theo R. Lorenz, that livability of laying hens is a Poultry Breeding farm, Sedgwick, '33, entered a winning hen among quality which can be cultivated Kan.; Wayne Land, '38, now of Swift the Wyandotte entries in the 1943-44 through careful selection of breeding And high hatchability and He also had entries in 1943, stock. & Co., Garden City, Kan.; George test. Queen, '40, now agriculture advisor 1944, and 1947. He owns the King- egg production, likewise, are qualities which can be developed. in poultry husbandry, in the New Or- fisher hatchery at Kingfisher. For example, one breeder through leans, La., parish; and later, Eskel O. Frank Griswold, '36, has a successEssary, '47, now of the University of ful poultry business at Wewoka. His the Oklahoma Egg Laying test inTennessee poultry department at entries were first sent to the test in creased the average annual egg proKnoxvi'lle. 1937. In 1945 and 1946, his hens duction per hen from 193 to 258 eggs gave a good account of themselves in a period of six years through imOldest participating hatchery, with and in 1947 one of his hens tied that proving the laying strain by breed16 years, is the Embry hatchery and of Senate Perry on hatchability with ing. That gain of 65 eggs meant its predecessor, the Knepley hatchery a 100 percent rating. more money in the owner's pocket of Blackwell. Hugh Embry, '34, Lee Bright, '40, while operating a and it meant a more adequate supply owns this hatchery. Next oldest of hatchery at Newkirk, entered the test for egg users. the participating hatcheries, A. Floyd Students in poultry at A. & M., in 1943. After the war he opened a jr., and Swift & Co., with hatcherythrough their participation in the hatchery at Arkansas City, Kan., and men Ben Kropp, '35, and Wayne Egg Laying test, become acquainted Land, '38^ combining, have tied with John M. Hall, '41, has his own breedwith trapnesting methods, learn to ing farm at Henderson, Tenn. He 12 years participation. entered the test in 1946 and in this mix poultry feeds and mashes, learn Kropp and Floyd have developed year's test his birds were right behind the value of progeny testing, and have winning pens twice in the Oklahoma Senate Ferry's entries in the second unique training, in that more of this Egg Laying test, a feat that only four for the breed and sixth high of all- type of work is given at Oklahoma other breeders in the nation have breeds classification. A. & M. than in almost any other matched during the past quarter of a Another Aggie, W. B. Tallant, '42, institution in the nation. century. Kropp worked with flock is the youngest of the pre-war gradThe Oklahoma Egg Laying test owner Robert Chapman to develop uates participating in the Oklahoma sponsors are proud of the records the pen of pullets which holds, up test. In the 1943 test, the Tallant made by Oklahoma hens in the test. to 1949, the all-time Oklahoma Egg hatchery Leghorns finished the year They also are proud of the student Laying test record for all breeds. as the eighth best pen of all breeds. participation program at A. & M., and Land was in charge of the pullets John Thompson, '49, is the first of the large number of state farms when they rang up this impressive of the post-war Aggies to buck the represented in the local test. record. Floyd developed the pullets, nation's top-notch breeders in the egg As a contribution to the poultry on his farm near Ada which like- laying test. Even before Thompson industry, as an educational factor for wise won the Oklahoma test for two received his degree, he brought the those taking part, and as a means of successive years. family entries to the test from the keeping ahead of the nation, the Other Aggies who have had a Watkins Quality hatchery at Vici. Oklahoma test stands on its past hand in the Oklahoma test include This year a Watkins' Australorp is record. As an overall program, the Herbert Aurell, '26, who sent a pen the highest producing hen among the Oklahoma A. & M. Egg Laying test of New Hampshires to the test from heavy breeds to date. Since 1945, the is outstanding. And keeping Oklathe Lathrop Poultry Farm, Rich- Australorps, Buff Orpingtons, and homa out in front are the Aggies mond, Ind. And Noel Farrington, Jersey White Giants from this hatch- who came to A. & M. to learn poultry '27, while operating a poultry farm ery have established national records work and are now back in poultry enterprises helping to raise the level at Anadarko, sent entries to the test in the Oklahoma test. from 1929 through 1934 which rang From the annual results at Still- of poultry work elsewhere.—J. W. H. up some high ratings. Wayne Miller, '28, research director • Oklahoma ranks third in the nation in having farms represented with entries for the Washington Cooperative as- in the National Egg'Laying tests during .the ten-year period, 1938 through 1947. sociation, Seattle, Wash., had entries The top five states in number of farms represented in U. S. egg laying in 1924 and 1926. W. R. Brown, '29, tests during the 10-year period are: Number of Farms entered pens in 1933-34 and in 1938 with Entries STATE his pen of White Leghorns finished 175 New York seventh high pen of all breeds. His 169 New Jersey pen was rated best entered by an Oklahoma Oklahoma breeder that year. He is 112 Missouri 95 vocational agriculture supervisor at Massachusetts 95 Delhi.